“YaoYao, enough, enough. I really can't eat another bite...”

“Really? You better not be lying to me, okay?”

“Really. If you don't believe me, look at my stomach.”

Mu Yao leaned over and rubbed Nangong Ruihui's belly twice. Then he ran his hand over it again from the other side, delight written all over his face—

“Not bad, not bad. Looks about two months along.”

Fed so much barbecue by Mu Yao that he couldn't even walk too fast, Nangong Ruihui usually only ate until he was seventy percent full. Today, though, he'd completely fallen into Mu Yao's hands. It was all Mu Yao's fault for scaring him, saying if he didn't eat, he'd chew it up and feed him mouth-to-mouth.

Nangong Ruihui couldn't figure out why he'd listened. He obviously could've shaken Mu Yao off and slipped away. But the moment he saw those big, expressive eyes of his, he just couldn't say no.

“I'm not even a girl. What do you mean two months along?” Nangong Ruihui pushed away Mu Yao, who had pressed himself against his stomach to listen, and complained.

“Hehe, just kidding~” Mu Yao's playful grin faded. He looked at Nangong Ruihui with a much more serious gaze. “Ruihui, how about I be your little bunny from now on?”

“So... YaoYao knows.” Nangong Ruihui lifted his head and met Mu Yao's eyes.

That pet rabbit from childhood had once been his best friend. After all these years, time had dulled the grief, but the way it died so horribly was still vivid in his mind. He still couldn't forget it.

After all the calm that came with time, Nangong Ruihui had gotten much better than before. Back then, just seeing someone eat meat made him want to throw up. Now, he simply didn't like it.

Mu Yao had broken his mostly-vegetarian habit, yet Nangong Ruihui found that he was willing to let him.

“Mhm. So, does Ruihui agree? I'm way more fun than an ordinary little bunny, you know~” Mu Yao coaxed him in every possible way.

This time, Mu Yao was determined to get Nangong Ruihui's agreement. Because if Nangong Ruihui agreed, that meant he'd truly let go of this matter. In the future, he wouldn't feel so resistant to eating meat anymore.

Good kids got rewards. Since Nangong Ruihui was willing to let go of that painful past for his sake, then being a pet for him to play with once in a while was fine too. Of course, only normal kinds of play.

“I agree, my bunny girl~” Nangong Ruihui said with a sly smile, one that made Mu Yao's scalp tingle.

That wicked grin hid how moved he really was. Nangong Ruihui didn't want Mu Yao getting too smug, thinking that entering his world had been something easy.

At this point, Mu Yao had done enough for Nangong Ruihui to completely lower his guard around him. He'd originally wanted to test whether Mu Yao liked him for who he was or for his family background, but now there was no need at all.

He felt a little sorry toward Mu Yao. He had no idea how he'd tell him in the future that he was actually a girl. Hopefully things would work themselves out when the time came...

...

After leaving the barbecue place, the two of them walked on under the evening glow. Sometimes they were close, sometimes apart, and their shadows stretched to different lengths in different directions.

Mu Yao was having the time of his life. With both arms spread wide, he walked along the steep, narrow curb like it was a balance beam.

“Gao~ gao~”

“YaoYao, what are you even yelling for? We're already first-years in high school, and you're still playing games little kids play.” Nangong Ruihui shook his head, thinking he was childish.

“This is not just a little kid's game! Lots of grown-ups play it too, okay!”

Mu Yao had liked doing this ever since he was little. It felt free, like a bird flying through the sky, able to go wherever it wanted. His biggest wish had always been to grow a pair of wings on his back. Snowflakes kissing white feathers in winter would definitely be beautiful. Only after growing up did he realize people could never grow wings.

Stepping in front of Mu Yao, Nangong Ruihui said, “I want to play a game too. YaoYao, play with me.”

“Huh? Sure, sure! What does Ruihui want to play?” The moment games were mentioned, Mu Yao perked right up and agreed again and again.

“Close your eyes first. Count down from three, and there'll be a surprise.”

“Oh!”

Mu Yao shut his eyes. At Nangong Ruihui's request, he also had to keep his previous pose without moving. One foot was still on the curb, and he was practically about to fall over...

Once he saw Mu Yao had closed his eyes, Nangong Ruihui quickly pulled out his phone. Standing beside Mu Yao, he raised a classic “Alien Baltan” pose by his face—a V-sign.

Click—

Fully satisfied, he got a photo. The result was just right. Mu Yao had his brows tightly knitted, one leg lifted so high it was almost above his butt, and the light breeze brushed past the tips of his hair. Cute didn't even begin to cover it.

There wasn't any special meaning behind it. Nangong Ruihui just felt that they'd known each other for quite a while already, and not even having a single photo together felt a little ridiculous. But he didn't want Mu Yao to know what he was thinking, so he could only catch him off guard and snap a picture together.

“Two—”

At this point, Mu Yao had only counted to two. He didn't want to count too fast. What if Nangong Ruihui's surprise wasn't ready yet? That wouldn't be fun.

“Three!”

Mu Yao's eyes flew open, only to find that Nangong Ruihui had already run off without a trace, leaving him alone in the wind and total confusion.

“Nangong Ruihui, you big liar! You promised you wouldn't ditch me again! Get back here—aaah!”

Mu Yao took off after him at once. His angry voice rang through the air. So this was the so-called surprise? What a real “surprise” that was.

He'd better hope Mu Yao didn't catch him alive. Otherwise... hmph, he'd tickle him to death!

...

Recently, Nangong Ruihui's complexion had gradually turned rosier. He looked much healthier now. Even the people who secretly called him pretty boy had become a lot fewer.

Only Mu Yao knew why. During the growing years, balanced nutrition naturally improved your complexion. And with Mu Yao reminding him to sleep, Nangong Ruihui's dark circles were gone too. The gloom he used to wear in his spare moments had been replaced by smiles.

“Mu Yao, tell me honestly, have you been draining Nangong Ruihui's yin to nourish your yang or something? Why's he been acting so off these past two days?”

In the dorm, Zhou Yuan pinned Mu Yao down, determined to get a clear answer. The two of them were always together lately, and that just didn't sit right with her.

“We're both boys. Nothing's going to happen...” Mu Yao's face reddened. “Wasn't he the abnormal one before? Look, way more students go to the student council to ask him for help now.”

“Oh? I was actually used to his old poker face. As punchable as ever,” Zhou Yuan said.

“Ugh...”

“Don't tell me again that your relationship is normal. Last time in the infirmary, he was literally on top of you. I'm thinking about whether I should tell Principal Long Yue and report this.”

This wasn't a small matter. If something happened to Mu Yao, she'd be held partly responsible too. Zhou Yuan felt it would be safer to discuss it with Long Yue. If Nangong Ruihui was using the Nangong Clan's influence to force Mu Yao into doing something bad, that would be a disaster. After all, in Nangong Ruihui's eyes, Mu Yao was a pure and adorable beautiful girl. Just because he wasn't interested in other girls didn't mean he wasn't interested in Mu Yao.

“Please don't tell Principal Long Yue, okay? Classmate Nangong and I are just friends.” To avoid deepening Zhou Yuan's misunderstanding, Mu Yao stopped using Nangong Ruihui's nickname.

“And you think I'd believe that, Mu Yao-san?” Zhou Yuan refused to let it go.

“Th-this... YuanYuan is kind and pretty, so just this once, okay~”

Very few people could resist Mu Yao's sugar-coated attack, and Zhou Yuan was no exception. Her voice gradually lost its sharp edge. “Fine. Just this once. Don't let me catch you on the spot again.”